MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police is filing cases against nine people, including Gwyneth Chua — the returning overseas Filipino who breached quarantine and whose name has since gone viral — her parents, and hotel employees of her quarantine facility for their part in the breach of quarantine protocols late last year.
In a statement sent to reporters late Monday night, the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said its investigation found that Chua's father fetched her from Berjaya Makati Hotel 17 minutes after she checked in on December 22.
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Witnesses and CCTV footage place her at a bar in Poblacion, Makati City partying with friends on the night of December 23. Chua then returned to the hotel with her mother on the night of December 25.
CIDG investigators confirmed that Chua's leaving the quarantine facility and "disregarding the quarantine procedure" violated the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Concern Act, particularly a section in its Implementing Rules and Regulations defining non-cooperation as:
- Failure to comply with a quarantine/ isolation order or directive duly issued by a public health authority;
- Violation of any terms or conditions of the quarantine or isolation order or directive issued by a public health authority
Under the law, violators shall be penalized with a fine between P20,000 and P50,000 or imprisonment of not less than one month but not more than six months, or both, at the discretion of the proper court.
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The CIDG's Regional Field Unit in Metro Manila presented a timeline of events at a case conference Monday:
- Ms. Chua was transported to the hotel (quarantine facility) and checked in at the Berjaya Hotel Makati on December 22, 2021 at 11:23 PM.
- At 11:40 PM of the same night, Ms. Chua was fetched from the same hotel by her own father with an SUV and drove off.
- Investigators confirmed the presence of Ms. Chua on one of the restaurants on the night of December 23, 2021, through CCTV footage and witness accounts.
- On December 25, 2021 at 9:00 PM, Ms. Chua returned to the hotel assisted by her mother.
The Department of Tourism added that Chua tested positive for COVID-19 on December 27 and was pulled out from the hotel "for extraction" in coordination with the Bureau of Quarantine two days later.
"Chua is currently being isolated in one of the isolation facilities in Metro Manila after her RT-PCR test came out positive on December 26, 2021," the CIDG said.
The CIDG said it "did not find sufficient evidence" to charge any of the individuals in the company of Chua the night after she broke quarantine.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was quoted as saying in an interview with TeleRadyo that "all those who were with her in the party tested positive and the contacts of those who tested positive also got the virus."
She added that Chua claimed publicly that she was able to leave the hotel due to her "connections."
The Berjaya hotel has since apologized for "failing to stop" Chua for leaving, adding that it was the "only incident of its kind" in the hotel's nearly two years as a quarantine facility.
"Let this be a lesson for each and every one of our fellow Filipinos. The pandemic is still at bay and we still need to be cautious in our actions...and everyone must adhere to the established protocols," Police Maj. Gen. Ignatius Ferro, CIDG director, said.
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Although implementation of quarantine protocols has been vigorously enforced against ordinary citizens, high-profile violators of guidelines on essential travel and holding large gatherings have regularly been let off the hook.